Chickens & Cows

I’ve been keeping chickens and cows for years.

And I always keep them together.

As we are planning to move our farm, all of the animal logistics are under scrutiny.

What works?

What would we do differently if we could?

What do we like about our current set-up?

What could be improved?

When it comes to the placement of the chickens here is my shortlist:

1. Keep the chickens FAR AWAY from the house.   I am so tired of cleaning chicken poop off of my driveway, porches, and sidewalks.  Chickens will travel up to 750 feet from their coop, so be sure it is nowhere near your living area.
2. Keep the chickens with the compost – this is a no-brainer.  We literally collect bowls of organic garbage from the kitchen that is delivered to the chickens every day.  Additionally, I toss manure, garden scraps, weeds and all other organic matter into the compost.  By placing the deteriorating matter near the chickens gives them first dibs on anything they find appetizing, not to mention the plethora of bugs, worms, and insect-life that home in the compost.
3. Keep the chickens away from the woods.  In our experience, if the chickens are tucked into the woods, they will be dead.  We thought the woods would give them cover from predators in the sky – but we ended up feeding the wood-living critters (wolves, foxes, coyotes, opossums, raccoons).  It seems that in our climate, chickens are safer in wide-open areas.
4. Keep the chickens with the cows.  There are few farm chores I dislike as much as scooping the cow fields.  Yes, we must remove manure from our cow pastures.  Because we have limited pasture land, we have to keep the fields clean.  If manure is allowed to sit it kills the grass and encourages parasite problems.  If you do not want to spend time shoveling manure with pitchforks, simply put your chickens with your cows.  They willl take care of the cowpies for you.
5. Keep the chickens somewhere convenient – after all, you will be visiting the coop at least twice a day to let them out and back in.  Collecting eggs can happen during one of these trips.

CHICKENS AND COWS

At the top of my chicken priorities is to put them in the same field(s) as the cows.

Here are my top 3 reasons chickens and cows go beautifully together-

#1 MANURE IS HEALTHY FOR CHICKENS TO EAT

Chickens and cows were meant to cohabitate.  Cow manure is actually very good for chickens.  They scratch and peck the piles and pick out bits of undigested grain.  As they do this they will ingest some of the manure, which is filled with minerals that are good for the chickens.

#2 CHICKENS WILL SPREAD THE MANURE

In addition to getting some great food, the chickens are also caring for the pastures when they scratch up the cow pies.  If left untouched, the cow manure will kill the grass and can cause parasite problems.  Chickens scratch them up and spread the manure out keeping pastures healthy.

#3 CHICKENS WILL EAT FOR FREE

You wouldn’t believe how much food is in a cowpie.  If you happen to be a chicken, it is a feast.  The manure, the grain, the bugs, the worms.  By allowing chickens to scavenge in fields with cows, you will inevitably reduce your chicken feed bills.

FENCING

Attempting to keep the chickens with the cows does introduce some limitations when it comes to fencing.

In order to keep the chickens and cow together, I must erect a fence solution that will contain chickens.

Chickens are relatively small animals, and they can easily squeeze through the squares in cattle woven wire fencing.  They can also travel under high-tensile fencing.  Which limits my options for the fence.

This will mean more work (woven-fence is harder to erect than a high-tensile wire fence).  And more cost.  Woven wire fence costs more than high-tensile wire.

AGAINST THE RUN

I’m sure you already know that I am not a fan of chicken runs.  It is a common solution that many turn to in order to remain friendly with neighbors.

I feel like caging my chickens up in a “run” would not only create an expensive feed bill for me, it also creates more problems than its’ worth.

• What do caged chickens eat?  Commercial feed – creating less desirable eggs
• Who’s gonna clean up the cow manure?  If the chickens are not given access to the manure – someone else is gonna have to do the work.
• What a waste of free food!  If the chickens get caged and the manure is scooped, that sure is a lot of nourishment to toss in the garden.

I am indifferent about the location of my garden, my driveway, and my rabbits.

When it comes to the chickens I know exactly what I want – I want them to be with the cows.

XO,

Candi